1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to wind and surf propelled aquatic devices, and more particularly to a surf and wind propelled aquatic toy.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Wind and water propelled floating devices are known in the art. There are several patents which disclose floating devices having keel and rudder designs and/or wind harnessing means for activating or propelling the devices.
Heath, U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,127 discloses a model sailing ship having an improved keel. The keel has a downwardly extending section attached to the hull and a horizontally extending section attached to the downwardly extending section. The keel is positioned so that the center of pressure of wind acting on the ship is in a forward position relative to the center of pressure of water acting on the ship to maintain the ship in a downwind direction.
Higgins, U.S. Pat. No. 2,368,834 and Dye, U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,820 disclose combination stabilizer and anchor line holders for duck decoys comprising a frame fitted in brackets on the bottom of the decoy. The anchor line having a weight attached is wrapped around the frame. The frame with the anchor line and weight attached serves as a counterweight to keep the decoy upright in water, and serves as a stand for the decoy on land or ice when the anchor line is stowed thereon. The Dye patent additionally provides a cylindrical counterweight.
Brinkop, Pitts, Ohnmacht, and Villatore et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 364,573, 1,571,213, 2,237,194 and 1,813,370 respectively, disclose decoys having a depending standard or rudder blade which is pivotally attached to the decoy body or head and allows the body or head to oscillate due to the wave action or water current.
Gentry et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,054 discloses a decoy having an elongated and bulbous keel and weights corrresponding to the outer configuration of the keel which are clipped thereon.
Dennison et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,748,519 discloses a decoy having a rollable weighted ball which moves inside a housing attached to the bottom of the decoy. The decoy bobs and rotates in a horizontal plane in response to a slight wind.
Pontikis, U.S. Pat. No. 1,712,167 discloses a life saving boat having a keel comprising a plurality of superposed horizontal plates arranged in spaced relation, and at least one longitudinal vertical extending plate interposed between first and second horizontal plates.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a floating aquatic device, e.g. toy, boat, etc., which is propelled by the wind and surf. The toy comprises a buoyant body hull and a flat, generally triangular, horizontal keel plate secured to the bottom of the hull in a vertically spaced relation. The body hull has a concave rear portion which is of greater height and width relative to the remainder of the hull and configured in a manner to capture sufficient water and/or wind forces to propel the toy through the water in which it is floating by the forces co-acting with the concave rear portion. The keel is of sufficient weight to maintain the hull in an upright floating position and stabilize the device. The concave rear portion of the hull is shaped to bifurcate the water and/or wind forces co-acting with the rear portion to orient the forward end of the toy in a direction opposed to the forces. The concave rear portion of the hull directs a portion of the water forces from the curl of the wave downwardly onto the wide rear of the keel plate to skim the device through the water.